Posts Tagged “cranberry”

Health Benefits of Cranberry Consumption Provided in Institute’s Guidebook

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The Cranberry Institute has launched its latest digital resource, The Berry Best Guidebook, which compiles all the research behind the health benefits of cranberries. While decades of research support the role of cranberries in health, new studies continue to uncover even more potential benefits.

The online resource makes it easy to explore the bioactive compounds in the fruit and their proven effects. The guide includes links to help access each section including stomach – suppression of H. pylori, gut microbiome, urinary tract health, support of nerve cells and cognition, and others. 

While most cranberries are harvested between September and October in the U.S., all forms of cranberry (juice, fresh, sauce, or dried berries) are healthy and can be enjoyed year-round.

The fruit is rich in healthful bioactive compounds including polyphenols such as proanthocyanidins (PACs), anthocyanins, and flavonoids, and are one of the only foods rich in A-type PACs which give cranberries the ability to inhibit bacterial adhesion in the body.

Cranberry anthocyanins have been shown to be the most highly available to the body.

Cranberry polyphenols help prevent biofilm formation, which benefits the body by keeping bad bacteria at bay. Biofilm is a layer of bacteria that grows and sticks to a surface, this can happen during the early stages of the development of an infection in the body.

An evaluation of food data collected from more than 3800 people through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2010 was used to develop a dietary index for healthy gut microbiota.

The research identified cranberries as part of a short list of foods found to benefit gut microbiota diversity and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), a metabolite produced by the fermentation of fiber by the gut microbiome. A growing body of research supports the role of SCFAs in fighting inflammation and supporting immunity.

Other benefits of the fruit include supporting oral health, cardiometabolic health, and cardiovascular support. 

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Wisconsin Cranberry Loadings to Increase in Weeks Ahead

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Thanksgiving will be here before you know it (November 22) and that means a lot of fresh cranberries will be shipped in the weeks ahead.

Wisconsin accounts for about 55  to 60 percent of the nation’s cranberry shipments, which includes not only fresh, but

Ray E. Habelman and Ray J. Habelman

processed, juices, etc.  The Badger state has about 20,000 acres of cranberry bogs.

Wisconsin produces over 4.3 million 100-pound barrels, while the nation as whole with produces over 7.2 million 100-pound barrels.

The fresh fruit side of the market is still a relatively small portion of the overall USA shipments, accounting for about 300,000 barrels.

A truckload of fresh cranberries typically amounts to about 42,000 pounds in a 53-foot refrigerated trailer, according to Nate Voit, general manager of Service Trans Inc., of Bancroft, WI.

Service Trans arranges about 7,800 loads per year, with about 99 percent of those loads requiring refrigeration. Nate says the company specializes in time sensitive shipments.  Of those 7,800 loads, about 800 are with cranberries.  Concerning the transportation of fresh cranberries, he describes it as different from most items.

“The cranberry shipments usually come on short notice, and it is high volume for a short period of time,” Nate says.

There are about a dozen growers in Wisconsin producing cranberries for the fresh market.  While cranberry shipments from Wisconsin have been underway for a few weeks, the real push will come about November 1st for Thanksgiving, according to Nigel Cooper, a principal in The Cranberry Network of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, who markets cranberrys for the nation’s largest fresh shipper, Habelman Bros. Co.

Although the big push is before Thanksgiving, the company started the tradition of extending the season to include fruit for the Christmas holidays.

Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving each year in October (this year its October 8) and cranberry loadings destined for Candian markets are among the first each year.

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